...an anagram for "Carter Family".... in the hopes that each of you who visits this site enjoys reading the ongoing tales of our family... (hey, I'm a teacher at heart, and reading specialist, to boot) and the farm part, well.... I can't help but feel the words of a wise person are true: "Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens."

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

We celebrated him this past weekend with a party that was among my most favorite birthday parties, ever: a cooking-themed event. Five friends and one beloved teacher joined us for a morning of cooking, decorating, and chefting. (Chefting = engaging in chef-like acts). Aidan and Leo were Master Chefs in the help they provided to our guests, and Master Brothers in the fun they shared with their baby bro.

Although this party had fresh and new ideas, it was actually a variation on a theme - I've kind of gotten this home-grown party thing down to a bit of a science.
I choose a color theme,

make some swag,

repurpose stuff from around the house into fresh and relevant party decorations,

and call it good. Whabam! Party time.

I've also learned a thing or two about how much good teaching is like good party planning: plan every minute, then plan some extra stuff. I get teased for the schedules I write (and especially if I waver a minute or two off the timeline) but if there is a secret to my success, it's this. It's all about the party-time management. This time around, the party plan was as follows:

In addition to the fabric apron they decorated, each guest left with a goodie bag that included a wooden spoon, a basting brush, a cookie cutter, muffin tin liners, a picture of Chef Pax, and two recipes -

one for "With Scratch" Brownies, (best. brownies. EVER!) and one for homemade pizza dough:

Pax’s “With
Scratch” Brownies

12 ounces (3
sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups cocoa
powder, sifted

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups
packed light brown sugar

2
tablespoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon
kosher salt

Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch
pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking oil
spray. Melt the butter in a medium
saucepan over medium heat. Remove from
the heat and add the cocoa powder, stirring to combine. Let cool slightly.

In a large
bowl, whisk the eggs together, then add the sugars and vanilla extract,
stirring to combine. Add the cooled
butter-chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour and salt until just combined;
do not overmix. Spread the batter
evently in the pan, making sure the corners are filled. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a crust forms
on the surface and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack; cool
completely before cutting the brownies.

Pax’s
Perfect Pizza Dough

3 3/4 cups
flour

2 1/2
teaspoons instant or other active dry yeast

3/4 teaspoon
salt

3/4 teaspoon
sugar

1 1/3 cup
room-temperature water

In a medium
bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the water and, using
a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. The dough
will be stiff, not wet and sticky. Cover the bowl and let sit at room
temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, at least 2 hours.
Divide the dough in two and shape each into flattened balls. (Dough can be
frozen at this point.) When you are
ready to make a pizza, preheat oven to 500°F roll out one ball of dough in a
rectangular shape and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Top as desired and bake
15-20 minutes.

Leo reads on his own a good deal, but still loves (and prefers) read-alouds with his dad. Recently, they've readCharlotte's Web (E.B. White)Holes (Louis Sacher)
...and are currently devouring The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson Book 1, R. Riordan)

Jeff has even found a few minutes of spare time between graduate class work to enjoy some pleasure reading. Aidan has been asking him to read his #1 favorite book, and Jeff was happy to oblige. Wonder by R.J. Palacio is nothing short of a true literary wonder. It is unequivocally the most important book a young person might ever read in his or her growing-up years.

And finally, a book that the whole family is enjoying is Dinner: The Playbook by Jenny Rosenstrach, the same author as Dinner: A Love Story (both cookbook and blog). Aidan, Leo, Pax, and I spent an afternoon earmarking recipes we'd each like to make (Aidan wants to make hoisin turkey burgers; Leo's going to make chicken chili and compare it to his favorite turkey chili, Pax decided on a new recipe for sloppy joes; and I want to taste her shrimp and grits recipe) while Jeff simply drools over the photos and asks us

About Me

"Motherhood is still seen as a waste of a smart woman's mind, as if motherhood were beneath her talents, rather than the job that most requires every ounce of strength and ingenuity that she possesses." -Amy Wilson, When Did I Get Like This?